F612 
.M5D2 



■ 






««45J'!I«< 



0^ ^o^^ -^^0^ °^»: -ov^ 



A\^ 



A^ 



.0 



^^-^^ 



^;-->^«'^^^- 


















<^_^ * o « o ' -^^ 






♦ o^r^v^.^". O 







.°-v 




:,* <?y^ V o; 





^^•^^. 






<^, 








<> Of. 



.-^' vL 



1; 











'-''• .^-^ "*, ^-.^..^.- *^ "^^ 












4q 







0^ ^<^ 



'^ % ^^P!^ >- % ^:^ip;^ ^''^ - 





C\^ 



31 



H 



ALEXAN 



DRIA 



f 



^ IiJL 14 !8S3 ''." 



PRINTING HOUSE OF MATTHEWS, N O R T II R U P k CO. 

Office of the " Euffalo lilornhig- £.tj^/fss." 

U U F r A 1. O , N . Y , 



COPYRIGHT, 1883, BY 

H. C. DAVIS, Assistant General Passenger Agent, 

ST. PAUL, MINNEAPOLIS & MANITOBA R'Y, 

ST. r.lUL. MINN. 



l'^ 






.v- 



MINNETONKA AND ALEXANDRIA. 




LAKE MINNETONKA. 



ALL the lovely sheets of water that gem the sur- 
^i\\\ face of the great Northwestern land of lakes, Min- 
netonka stands without a peer and without a rival. 
Far and wide as its fame has flown, no charm of 
artist's brush or cunningly-wreathed words from 
author's pen has given or can give a just idea of its 
^xX. manifold attractions. Seekers of health or pleasure 
' \ come to its shores each year in ever-increasing num- 
bers, and each year old visitants as well as new are capti- 
vated by hitherto undiscovered charms. Minnetonka, like 
the bright, bewitching belle of the Northwest that she is, bewilders her 
admirers with her lavish beauty, yet keeps ever in reserve a wealth of attrac- 
tions which she reveals only to those who yield to her alluring spells, and 
leads them day by day into fresh infatuation. Already this is the favored 
summer resort of multitudes from south, east, and west. What was, but few 
years ago, the wild and unsubdued paradise of the few residents of Minnesota 
cities, and the fewer venturesome tourists from afar who had gazed upon its 
unsubdued and native wildness and felt the witchery of its spell is now the ob- 
jective point toward which thousands of our summer birds of passage turn 
their longing eyes with the first approach of lengthening suns ; the calm and 
cool retreat for worn students and weary men of business, as well as the gay 
court of love and fashion, bright dreams of which tlit before the waking eyes 
of the fluttering denizens of \"anity Fair. It is no longer a local resort, but 
w-ith a sudden spring into favor, and a sudden acquisition of all the appli- 
ances that minister to the comforts and satisfy the most fastidious longings 
for the elegancies of life, — a transformation worthy of the genius of Alad- 



8 

din's lamp, — it welcomes yearly to its parlors of fashion, its crowded ball- 
rooms, its graceful and homelike cottages, its embowered walks and drives 
through sylvan retreats, its dreamy and delicious sails through falling twilight 
or along the quivering path of silvery light where only the moonbeams are 
the dancers, and its leafy solitudes where one may lose himself in defiance of 
the world and all his kind, — the thousands who have heard of it from afar, 
and been drawn thither by its magnetic spell. Its charms can need no 
other laudation; they are their own interpreters. And the day when it shall 
be known and sought by the pilgrims of fashion and of recreation from 
every corner of every State as the Saratoga of the new Northwest, can 
scarcely be said to be rapidly dawning — for it is already here. 

In no part of the immense lacustrine region of the Northwestern country 
are the lakes so attractive as within what is known in histories and descrip- 
tions of Minnesota as the Big Woods. A great belt of hardwood timber 
sweeps across the State, and it is in its deep recesses that the loveliest of 
Minnesota's lakes are snugly hidden away. There are here no dull and 
monotonous reaches of level prairie, but noble trees come down to the water's 
edge the while they bend above it lovingly, the banks rise steep and sheer, 
the numerous islets are drops of emerald in a sea of glass, and Nature brings 
forth in profusion her richest and most varied charms. Ensconced in the 
midst of such a region lies Minnetonka, the queen and peerless beauty of 
them all ! Although it is situated upon the main line of the St. Paul, Minne- 
apolis & Manitoba Railroad, but twenty-five miles northwest of St. Paul and 
fifteen from Minneapolis, being by its proximity to these cities rather a suburb 
than a summer resort, and accessible by trains at any hour of the day, yet so 
bountifully has Nature dealt with it, that it can never lose its primeval fresh- 
ness. Quiet recesses along the indentations, which are its most remarkable 
feature, will ever preserve their characteristic wildness, and beyond what may 
be desirable in the way of beautification and adornment, the hand of man 
can never undo what the hand of Nature with such unerring skill has wrought. 
Hotels may be multiplied until the flag of some great caravansery shall be 
descried from every knoll ; parks may be laid out and embellished until they 
transform the surrounding country into veritable fairyland ; boulevards may 
encircle the lake with great sweeps of many a mile ; but still the charm will 
be that of natural beauty, and tired men and women will turn away from the 
artificiality with which they have become sated, to find here a vision and a 
breath of the divine that hovers over forest, wave, and shore. Had the two 




great cities of tlic Noith- 
west, tlie centres of popu- 
lation for a future empire, 
been located with a view 
to providing for the hun- 
dreds of thousands they 
will one day contain a 
charming and convenient 
retreat, instead of remain- 
ing for many years almost 
ignorant of its existence, 
they could scarcely have 



LAKE MINNETONKA. 

[From " A Kecoimaissance ol the Golden Nortliwest."J 



10 

been more favored. Had the settlement of this country but served the purpose 
of unveiling to the many other hundreds of thousands who long for a season 
of happy restfulness this one resort, it would have seemed worth the while. 
Here, not so many years ago, was the home and favorite hunting ground of 
Sioux and Chippewa, and the middle of the lake was the boundary line 
between the two nations. With the keen eye for scenic beauty which marked 
the aborigines, they knew and loved it well, and named it Mde-a-tonka — the 
Big Lake. The present appellation, differing from this but little in either 
sound or meaning, Minnetonka — the Big Water — was given to it by Alexander 
Ramsey, the first Governor of Minnesota. 

The chief sources of the wonderment which fills him who for the first time 
visits and explores this lake are its size and its marvelous length of shore-line. 
Although by the most direct line that can be taken it is but fifteen miles from 
one extremity to the other, there are one hundred and four miles of coast line, 
so indented and broken up by myriads of tiny bays and enticing coves is the 
contour of the line where land and water meet. The surface of the shores 
vies with its edge in picturesque irregularities. Now .shooting up into stately 
headlands, now jutting boldly out in commanding promontories, now stretch- 
ing back in an inviting expanse of gently-sloping acclivities, and now rising 
into mounds that might well be the handiwork of some forgotten race, it does 
its part in creating the loveliness that is not likely to be forgotten by one whom 
summer idleness has lured to Minnetonka. Counting only the more important 
depressions which invade the shore line, twenty-five bays break up the con- 
tinuity of the lake, turning it into a chain of lakelets, like the series of 
connecting chambers in the Arabian tale, where the riches of one could 
scarcely stimulate the imagination of the beholder to conceive of the magnifi- 
cence of the next. Many who have lingered long with unsated delight upon 
both scenes have found a strong resemblance between sailing upon Minne- 
tonka and upon the upper Hudson. The field of vision is bounded just ahead 
by some low point, waving foliaged arms of welcome, and it seems as if when 
that was reached the voyage would be ended. But following the inward and 
nearer shore, suddenly there comes a turn, a shooting outward into a new 
and broader expanse of water, a revelation of beauty which is different yet the 
same, and thus ever for hours the unending chase is renewed. The area of 
the entire water surface is twenty-three miles ; yet it has been found by a 
curious calculation that if these twenty-three square miles were formed into a 
circle the circumference would be seventeen miles ; while if the wrinkles were 



— '■ I — 

-H h- ■ 

— i I— - 

—I I — 

—I I— - 

-I H- 

H I— - 

-H I—- 

1 I — 

-i I — 



--Im 



U 



H 



H 



D 



p3 PL 



E-j 



^ h- 




D 



^ 



a 



12 

smoothed from the one hundred miles of shore line, and this also bent into the 
circumference of a circle, the area enclosed would be no less than 796 square 
miles. On account of this remarkable irregularity alone, taken in connection 
with the scenic grandeur of the shore views. Lake Minnetonka has been 
characterized without exaggeration as one of the most wonderful bodies of 
water in the world. In some places the land's edge rises abruptly from the 
crystal depths ; but for the most part it slopes gradually to the cool welcome 
of the waiting waves, now with a pebble-sprinkled beach, and now with a 
shining border of beautiful hard white sand. There are innumerable seques- 
tered nooks where the most delightful and invigorating of baths that Nature 
has to offer await the eager explorer of the transparent depths. One may 
spend weeks in sailing over these retiring bays, and on every expedition dis- 
cover something new and charming. Sick and well, merry and sad, quiet and 
gay, can find places suited to their tastes in the great hotels which line the 
shore, or in retired glades, where one can lie lazily in his hammock or stretch 
at full length upon the turf, and gazing upward or outward through interlacing 
branches of grand old forest trees, forget the cares of the present in such a 
blissful rest as it is worth a lifetime of labor to earn and to enjoy. 

The first view of the lake on leaving the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba 
coaches discloses only the bays which lie at the extreme eastern end, and the 
only indication of its really vast extent is afforded by the fleet of magnificent 
steamers waiting in readiness to convey travelers to any of the numerous 
stopping places around its shores.. The boats which ply the lake are splendid 
side-wheelers, the largest capable of carrying 2,000 passengers with ease, and 
as finely finished and fitted as any craft that can be found upon an inland lake. 
Extensive open promenade decks, luxuriously furnished cabins, and every 
facility for comforting the inner man have been provided, and the lazily dis- 
posed can make and repeat the tour of the lake, seeing the prominent features 
of interest and penetrating all but the most retired and inaccessible spots, with 
all the comfort and convenience that are at his command in a journey from 
Albany to New-York. From Wayzata, the station first reached, if one 
chooses to leave the train here, he can be transported to any point on the lake, 
and already feel the inspiration of freedom as he inhales the glorious breeze 
fresh from the hills and waters, and enjoys the delicious gliding motion with 
which he speeds from shore to shore. Passing out of Wayzata Bay into the 
larger bay to the west, the beauty of the scenery upon which he has entered 
first becomes fully apparent. Point Wakon is seen running out boldly into 



13 

the lake, and the old settler or the searcher into the curiosities of Indian 
tradition could tell many a weird tale of the strange scenes that it has wit- 
nessed and the stirring events with which it is connected in the legends of a 
race who once found here delight as deep, perhaps, though different in nature, 
as that of the careless throngs who have appropriated it for their own. Spirit 
Island and Point Lookout are passed, Big Island, a favorite camping ground 
comes in full view, and after a voyage across this lovely bay. Excelsior, lying 
on a hilly peninsula between two bays, is reached. This is the southwestern 
extremity of the lake, and here is a village naturally adapted for a summer 
resort and determined to make the most of its advantages. There are excel- 
lent accommodations for guests, and the various places which are the seats 
of summer colonies vie with each other in the multiplicity of their attractions. 
West of Excelsior lies the region known as Minnetonka Lake Park, and in 
almost every direction the green of the fresh sward is doited with the white 
tents of campers who prefer to isolate themselves as far as possible from the 
congregation of humanity which they are endeavoring to escape, and who 
spend delightful months free from the restraint of social observances, ready 
for pleasure in whatever form it may present itself. Scattered around in 
every direction are dozens of smaller lakes, many of them most picturesque 
in location and surroundings, and offering to the sportsman a field which has 
been too little invaded to frighten away the quarry which he wishes to secure. 
To one casting a quick glance about him, all this portion of the lake seems to 
be occupied ; yet those who have followed the deceptive curves of its sinuous 
outline know how many spots there are where solitude is still supreme, how 
quickly one may pass with scarcely more than a few oar-beats from plain 
sight and sound of the joyous throngs on either shore to the quiet and seclu- 
sion of some retiring inlet, hidden from all the world by the verdant gates 
that shut him in. 

This part of Minnetonka is what is commonly known as the Lower Lake ; 
for wonderfully diversified as it is and cut up into a score of broad bays, yet 
its expanse is susceptible of being considered as lying in two broad divisions, 
the upper and the lower lake, connected with each other once only by a shal- 
low strait, scarcely wider than a steamer's deck, but now accommodated to 
the unobstructed passage of the largest boats that swim upon these waters. 
Irregular as are the other parts of the lake, the irregularity is all a part of a 
single outline ; bay opens into bay, and none are difficult of access. The 
same is true in general of the character of the upper lake ; while between 



these two there is but the single straiglu and narrow way. 
It is not the least of the delights of Minnetonka that after 
the stranger thinks he has carried exploration to its farthest 
limit and that no new worlds to conquer lie beyond, he has 
but to thread the connecting passageway, and be- 
hold ! another vista of equal beauty opens before 
him, and the pleasures of the past return with all 
their entrancing memories. Formerly the " Nar- 
rows" were narrow indeed, and the steamboats of 
an earlier day were pushed through by main force, 



1 



"Ta- 





half floating, half 

digging out their 

own right of way ; 
while the curious passenger standing on the 
bow might watch enormous pickerel, three 
and four feet long, darting ahead through the 
shoal water, as if to either pilot this strange rival of theirs to unknown seas 



15 



as a friend, or to give timely warning of its approach as an enemy. Now 
the Narrows have been enlarged so that there is sufficient depth to admit 
the largest steamer, and the upper lake no longer selfishly 
keeps its attractions to itself. In fact it may be said that 
here is now the centre of interest as well as the centre of 
gravity about which these two noble sheets of water are 
balanced. For the St. Paul, Minneapolis »S: 
'^■. Manitoba Railroad, looking upon the field 

with the eye of an old campaigner, discov- 
ered here the strategic point of the situa- 




tion, which would enable it to command the ground. 
And here, at the Narrows, to which point its trains run 
• directly from Wayzata, it has erected a magnificent 
hotel structure, which is as incomparably the finest summer hostelry in the 



i6 

Northwest as Minnetonka is the most desirable resort. Phenomenal in the 
scale upon which its plan was conceived and executed, it is yet more of a 
marvel in the success that it has achieved by satisfying the public fancy and 
commending itself to the public approval. Originally designed and con- 
structed of such dimensions as to astonish even the most sanguine believers 
in the popularity of Minnetonka as a summer resort, and as only the sagacious 
foresight of its builders could have justified, so great has been its success that 
additional accommodation has been found necessary, and the present season 
finds the palace of the last increased in its enormous proportions by more 
than one-half. The Hotel Lafayette, the equal in every respect of the most 
pretentious that the watering-places of the world can boast, is indeed only 
another of the revelations of this new wonderland. As first completed it was 
700 feet in length and more than 100 feet wide, exhibiting a graceful and pleas- 
ing combination of architectural styles, with the Queen Anne predominating. 
The exterior is broken and adorned by circling oriel and heavy bay windows, 
by broad and spacious balconies, by gables and other architectural adorn- 
ments, at once relieving its vast expanse and charming the eye of the beholder. 
From the foundation to the top of the highest gable the elevation is ninety 
feet, while around the whole of the edifice runs a piazza from twenty to forty 
feet in width with overhanging roofs, affording a sheltered promenade from 
which the view ranges unobstructed over the manifold beauties of both upper 
and lower lakes. The palatial building occupies the highest point of land in 
the lake's circumference, and is a veritable castle on the heights ; though it 
can boast of both wonders and comforts the meanest of which would have 
been esteemed a miracle in the lordliest castle of the Mediaeval Age. Every 
detail of the structure and its surroundings has been finished in as great 
perfection as modern science and art can suggest, without consideration of 
the item of expense. The imposing offices and grand stairways, spacious 
vestibules and princely drawing-rooms, elegantly appointed parlors and dining- 
hall, where hundreds can satisfy the appetite which only Minnesota air can 
sharpen, suites of apartments with their private balconies making possible at 
the same time the enjoyment of being part of the gay and busy throng which 
is essential to life at a summer resort, and the seclusion which is the prero- 
gative of home, with hundreds of other details where every conceivable wish 
or taste of the visitor has been delicately foreseen and studiously provided 
for, combine to render this hotel unparalleled among the proudest even in 
this land where the building and conducting of hotels may be said to have 



17 



|fe- 







*A. ■ ''# - -^-^^ 



HOTEL ALEXANDRI\, 
GENEVA BEACH 



$ft4' 








been raised to the dignity 
of a tine art, and lea\ e it 
without a peer among the most 
famous resorts of the watering- 
places of the world. Health, 
comfort and enjoyment have 
been provided for with equally 
studious care. Ventilation is 
perfect, swiftly-gliding eleva- 
tors conv'ey their passengeis 
from floor to floor as if each 

were the magic rug of Eastern fable, hard-wood finish and a wealth of 
minor adornments leave no spot upon which the eye may not linger with a 
restful delight, steam from the great boilers takes away insensibly the chill 
of morn and evening, electricity turns night into day, and the casual traveler, 
poor though he may be, has at his command for the period of his stay all that 
the wealth of millionaires can purchase. The superintendence of Mr. 
Eugene Mehl, long connected with the well known Brevoort House of New- 
York City, insures the satisfaction of every gastronomic want, and has given 



i8 

the table of the Hotel Lafayette a desirable renown among all who have 
ever tasted its delights. No sounding encomiums could speak half as loudly 
the praises of its perfect accommodations as the simple fact that the increase 
of the multitudes who seek its shelter has already forced an extension of the 
accommodations that would have been thought in the beginning amply 
sufficient for the throngs that yearly renew their fealty to beautiful Minnetonka. 
It has been found necessary to make an addition 400 feet long, a mammoth 
building in itself, were not its proportions dwarfed by forming only a part of 
a more stupendous whole, and to increase all other accommodations in a 
corresponding ratio. Not less than $100,000 will be spent this season upon 
landscape gardening, in improving and adding to the ornamentation of the 
lovely peninsula which overlooks the lakes. In few other of the most 
renowned resorts can there be discovered such enticing shady groves, 
winding walks and drives, and sheltered nooks as here invite the tired eye to 
rest and the tired brain to dream away in blissful oblivion the too brief hours 
of a summer's holiday. Boating and bathing-houses are conveniently located, 
and a spacious wharf extends to where the great lake steamers daily dis- 
charge the population of a moderate-sized city. The liberality of the proprie- 
tors, who never stop to count the cost where public convenience is concerned, 
can scarce keep pace with the wonderful growth of the Lafayette in public 
favor ; and the visitor who one year thinks that he has sojourned for a little 
time in an elysium, will find the next that a thousand enjoyments before 
undreamed of are subject to his will. Sitting proudly on her commanding 
eminence, the queen of summer palaces looks far and wide across the queen 
of lakes and extends her welcome to a weary world. 

Beyond the Narrows the line of the railroads extends to a considerable 
distance, sweeping through a beautiful country around the north shore of the 
lake, while upon the steamers one may visit the many scenes which the upper 
lake has in store for the unsated tourist. Passing through the Narrows, 
another succession of bays, changing from one to the other and blending with 
the charm if not the swiftness of a kaleidoscopic vision, lies spread out in 
panoramic beauty. The high banks are for the most part clothed with their 
primeval green, though here and there may be seen the cottages of those who 
have chosen to dip a little deeper into woodland's depths and taste the savor 
of its wildness. On the right appears Spring Park, a station on the St. Paul, 
Minneapolis & Manitoba road, where new villas are each year appearing 
embosomed in the depths of noble forests. Innumerable points bathe their 



19 



feet in the cool limpid waters, and to them the loving fancy of their summer 
frequenters has given the names of some of those enchanted spots which 
writers and idealists have attached to the bright creations of their imagina- 
tions, here perhaps more nearly realized than elsewhere outside of happy 
Arcadia. The very nomenclature of the upper lake tells its own tale of desire 
gratified, and the land of hope and 
wonder brought within the reach 
of mortal man. And not the least 
charmine feature of the varied land- 




jK 



scape IS the multiplicity of 
islands \\hi(.h here gi\e new 
\ariety and something of 
wildness to the scene. Wild Goose, 
Spray, and Shady Islands lie near to- 
gether, each a little paradise between the 
wave and sky. " Enchanted Island " well 
deserves the name which it bears, while 



20 

Phelps Island alone contains over 300 acres, and lying thus in th^ midst of 
scenery without a blemish upon its loveliness makes a little kingdom which 
a monarch might rejoice to call his own. Past Crane Island, the home of 
strange and uncouth aerial and aquatic residents, the explorer takes his way, 
while the boat's whistle scares from their retreat, the feathered proprietors, 
which wheel away with many a wild and eerie cry. Thence Cook's Bay and 
Halsted's Bay, the extreme western estuaries, stretch away, and the voyage 
up the lake is ended, although the return shows undiscovered countries yet 
on either hand, and dozen of similar voyages fail to exhaust the resources of 
the flood and shore. No two trips on Minnetonka ever seem the same, and 
the mere record of the enchanted spots that transfix the observer in silent 
wonder at their loveliness, or wile him to remain with them in oblivion of all 
the world besides, would fill a volume. 

It would be difficult to mention another place in this country which unites 
in itself so many attractions and of so many different kinds as Lake Minne- 
tonka. If its scenic beauties have been dwelt upon with most ardor, it is only 
because these are so pre-eminently distinguished, so different not only in 
degree but in kind from those of the average resort, that they deserve the 
first place in any description. Were the lake dropped down in the inaccessi- 
ble wilds of some foreign region, or surrounded by the miasmatic lowlands of 
a district as hostile to health as the Roman campagna, it would still be the 
goal of many a pilgrimage. But instead of this it lies in the centre of Nature's 
sanitarium, the highlands of Minnesota, to breathe the air of which is for the 
invalid and the despairing one to take new courage and live. Over it hangs 
an atmosphere dry, cool, and invigorating, one in which no taint of malaria 
or trace of disease germ can exist. About it is spread a virgin country, its 
native wildness banished or subdued, but its native charms surviving in their 
pristine strength. Here the joyous healthful freedom of Nature and the 
comforts and pleasures of the highest civilization meet upon common ground, 
with nothing to detract from either. Here are the means for satisfying an 
infinite diversity of tastes. The devotee of pleasure will find a ceaseless 
round of social excitements, and a concourse of those who during the winter 
months grace the ball-rooms and fetes of the great metropolis. People of 
the highest culture spend here their hours of respite from mental activity. 
The overworked multitude resort hither to forget the tension of daily endea- 
vor in a well-earned relaxation. He who wishes solitude can find it either in 
that most solitary of all places, the centre of a great throng, or can plunge 



21 



into the hidden fastnesses that gird these hundred miles of shore line with 
their cincture of imperishable green. The sportsman may make his daily 
excursions to isolated pools or to the neighboring sequestered lakes, and 
return with precious booty of wild fowl ; or he may tempt the denizens of the 
deep, and enjoy such sport day after day as only those who have fished in 
well-stocked waters can understand. All varieties of bass, pickerel and pike 
are greedy for the bait, and a string of a hun- 
dred pounds is a splendid but by no means 
unusual trophy. Bathing takes on a new charm 
m these cool, pure waters, and Icng reaches of 
firm white sand furnish the ideal 
beach. The dance, the delightful 
siesta under spreading branches, and 
lulled by the gentle murmur of the 
waters, the hunt, the fishing excur- 




LAKE CARLOS. 



22 

sion, the pleasant ramble through sylvan bowers and shady dells, the long drive 
over hill and dale with glimpses of bright waters appearing and disappearing 
through the foliage, the refreshing plunge, the sail, now through the long idle- 
ness of twilight hours with but a ripple gurgling at the bow, now with the 
stirring excitement of " a wet sheet and a flowing sail, a wind that follows fast," 
and, at the end of all, the return to a bountiful table and luxurious quarters 
such as a prince might envy, — nowhere are all the delights of the city and 
the wilderness, of savagery and civilization, to be found in such overflowing 
measure and such harmonious combination as on the shores of the magic 
water of the northland. The ocean is grander and more awe-inspiring, but 
here there is no monotony, but an ever-changing series of pictures, with Nature 
herself as the scene-shifter. The odor of the briny breeze is not more bracing 
than the unbreathed and untainted air which comes fresh from a thousand 
miles of prairie, forest and lake. Sunset at the seaside is a favorite theme of 
the poet and the painter ; but never do the heavens more gorgeously array 
themselves, never do they bring forth brighter dyes or exhibit more exquisite 
delicacy of coloring, never is there a scene which might better cause the artist 
to throw down his brush in despair and forswear his calling because he cannot 
hope to catch and fix its evanescent glory, than when the evening falls upon a 
Minnesota landscape. There is some peculiar quality in this dry, refined 
atmosphere which lends a rarer beauty to the western horizon, and suffuses 
the skies with a rosy glow as precious and fleeting as love's first blush. Some- 
thing it may be akin to that which brings out only in these northern regions 
the resplendent glory of the auroral lights, touches earth and sky at the hour 
when the day is dying, and makes a Minnesota sunset a thing of beauty which 
lingers upon the canvass of memory forever. Search the world over and 
nowhere else will Nature be found so unreluctantly to lay aside her concealing 
robes and appear in all her dazzling and unadorned loveliness, as pure and 
modest as the maiden, as tender and radiant as the bride, as when she is 
sought upon the shores of beauteous Minnetonka. Doubtless in years to 
come hundreds of resorts, each claiming its band of stout and leal adherents, 
will be established in this land of lakes. There are places innumerable that 
are worthy of such honor. But whatever Nature may have done, or the art of 
man may yet have to do for them, they must pale their ineffectual fires before 
that one who sways her sceptre over all. Wild and secluded as if located in 
the midst of the forest primeval, yet but a few minutes distant from the hum 
of great cities, and but a few hours removed from the centres of the Nation's 



24 

life ; fair as a vision of the imagination, yet open to all the busy people of the 
work-a-day world ; picturesque as a poetic creation in every detail of environ- 
ment, yet replete with all the appliances demanded by prosaic comfort ; 
promising much, yet freely giving more than the boldest and most exacting 
would dare to claim in fulfillment of promise ; bewildering with a wealth of 
delights too deep and delicate for surfeit ; Lake Minnetonka is the one resort 
upon the continent where all perfections seem to meet. He who has not 
spent one summer there has missed a golden thread from the strand of life. 
For the weary and the restless everywhere they are offered solace, fresh 
inspiration, and a new lease of happiness in a visit to this haven of content- 
ment and paradise of pleasure in the heart of picturesque America. 

For the special accommodation of visitors at Lake Minnetonka a coupon 
ticket office will be opened at Minnetonka Beach, where tickets will be 
issued and baggage checked to all principal points in America. 

Special excursion rates will be made for parties desiring to visit the fishing 
and hunting resorts of the Park Region, 




35 



WESTWARD FROM MINNETONKA. 

Leaving the aquatic twins, Lakes Minnetonka, on the edge of the splen- 
did Park Region, the seeker after summer pleasures proceeds directly west 
into the heart of this, the most beautiful section of the bright Northwest. 
Here are lakes on every side — little crystal gems with bands of golden 
beaches, set in emerald forests, or large, irregular sheets of translucent water 
surrounded by every variety of attractive landscape. All are beautiful — all 
attractive, — but a few have been chosen for their peculiar beauties, and are 
much sought by tourists, sportsmen and invalids during the heated term. 




I.AKK I.'HOMME DIEU. 



26 

HOTEL ALEXANDRIA -GENEVA BEACH. 

Near the City of Alexandria, Douglas County. This charming place is 
142 miles from St. Paul in the very heart of the Park Region, and is located 
in the midst of a group of the finest lakes in Minnesota. It has now a 
population of at least 2,000, and, in the character of its inhabitants and its 
religious and social organizations, it greatly resembles the best of old New- 
England towns. There are seven churches including all denominations, 
a perfected graded system of schools, with three school-houses, one of which 
is very handsome, of white brick, and cost $25,000. A boon for visitors is 
found in its excellent library association and public library, while those musi- 
cally inclined will find congenial spirits among the members of a prosperous 
musical society. The many charitable, literary and social societies testify to 
the high degree of refinement and culture existing. 

Lakes Agnes and Winona almost encircle Alexandria, and both are pretty 
sheets of water. About three miles east of the city is a fine chain of four 
lakes — Geneva, Victoria, L'Homme Dieu, and Carlos. Straits connect this 
beautiful lacustral family, and make possible a steamer voyage of over forty 
miles' length amid the most glorious scenery of the Northwest. Of this 
chain of lakes, Geneva has been selected as the location for a splendid hotel, 
whose only equal in the country will be found in great Hotel Lafayette. 

" Hotel Alexandria" is situated at what is known as "Genev-a Beach," and 
the location merits the appellation. Backed by a thick forest, the splendid 
structure faces a beach which sweeps around the water line in graceful curves. 
Through the cool depths of the forest are the most entrancing of rambles, 
and feathered songsters flutter among the thick branches. Game is found 
in profusion in this great forest, and, be the sun as fiery as at the tropics, 
a delightfully refreshing coolness is discovered, and the hot mid-day hours are 
passed in blissful comfort. From the front of the hotel the views are truly 
entrancing. Away on all sides stretch the splendidly-varied shores of the 
lovely lake, knolls, promontories, lawn-like openings and gleaming beaches, 
mingling in the bright landscape to afford delight to the eye of the beholder. 
At evening, the sunset settling upon the scene, gives a magical transforma- 
tion before which the vaunted splendors of Italian skies must fade. Such in 
brief is the charming "Geneva Beach," a resort which will quickly become 
the peer of any of the many in the wonderful Northland — the land of sunny 
skies, of bright pure air, and lovely landscape. 



2; 



"HOTEL KITTSON "-ASHBY PARK. 

Six hours ride from Minneapolis, on the Fergus Falls division of the St. 
Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway, brings the traveler to the 
charmingly pastoral village of Ashby, at which point the railway passes 




SCENE IN PARK REGION. 



between the fine large lakes, Christina and Lower Pelican, both of which 
abound in natural beauties. Surrounded by forests filled with feathered 
game, the lakes lie perfect aquariums in which sport the best of game fish. 
At just a convenient distance from the water is "Ashby Park," which is sit- 
uated on a high commanding site, and is beautifully laid out. Located in 
the centre of this park is a handsome summer house, called Hotel Kittson. 



28 



It is not large, but it contains every modern convenience, and is superbly- 
furnished and fitted throughout, and is one of the most delightful abodes in 
the whole region. It was erected late last year, but this season will be in 
the most attractive shape, and the visitors, so fortunate to find a home in 
this tarrying place, will find their most exacting wants supplied. 



MCFARLAND HOUSE -TEN-MILE LAKE. 

Here is another of the fine lakes of the Park Region which has been 
selected as a summer resort in this attractive section. The tourist will 
stop at Dalton station, which is 176 miles from St. Paul. Ten-I\Iile Lake 
really consists of two bodies of water connected by a pretty navigable creek. 
The resort is located four miles from the station, the forest road to it being 
one of the most beautiful imaginable. For some years the place has been 
famous among some of the most skillful hunters and anglers of the 
Northwest, as afifording more sport than any other locality, and for a long 
time the secret was kept inviolate among the favored few. Last year Col. 
O. McFarland, formerly of Park Place Hotel, St. Paul, one of the best 
landlords in the Northwest, erected an elegant hotel, and the guest that finds 
shelter under the hospitable roof of the McFarland House may be consid- 
ered fortunate. The table is kept well supplied with the game and fish so 
plentiful in the vicinity, and the attractions in the way of summer sports are 
nowhere excelled, if equalled. It is truly a charming place, and those who 
enjoy quiet country life, deep in the forest, will be delighted with the spot. 



30 



"FAIRVIEW LODGE"- OS AKIS. 

At a distance of 131 miles from St. Paul is located the town of Osakis on 
the borders of a charming lake of the same name — the subject of one of 
our most exquisite illustrations. The lake is about thirteen miles long, 
nearly circular, and has over fifty miles of beautifully diversified shore 
broken by bays, capes, and elevated points. There are many historical 
places around the lake, which was once the favorite abode of Sioux and 
Chippewa Indians. One especially interesting place is knov^ai as "Battle 
Point," which was the scene of a sanguinary contest between the tribes. 
At this place the company has one of the best eating-houses on the line, 
and within easy walking distance from the station is a little village including 
a quite spacious hotel and a series of pretty cottages, which comprise 
" Fairview Lodge." The location occupied by the "Lodge" is too delightful 
to be described. It is situated about twenty feet above the rippling beach 
in the midst of tall overhanging trees, affording the coolest shade. Ele- 
gantly laid out, and admirably conducted by an experienced landlord, it is 
one of the prime attractions of the enchanted region. 




'■\y.* For Information , Time-tables, Rates, etc., to all 
Summer Resorts reached by the St. Paid, Minneapolis 
& Manitoba Raihvay, apply to 

H. C DAVIS, 

AssI Gen I Passr Agent, 

ST. PAUL, MINN. 







^>^ iJv^ \!. 











4 o^ 




^w.^ ^"^ '^^, 



^-^ 







,-^^''.^j4:vS. 









; 



•1 c_. 



.A 



.0- 



^: ^0^. ^^^^ 







>„ ^ 










,0 V, "^* <«- .. ^-^ """^^ ^ "^ \V 



<. 














^ 







■v' ' '?'V?V 









0C3BS BROS. ^ (j 
libharv BINDINa ^'-' 

ST. AUGUSTINE 
^ FLA. 
32084 . 










'bV" 



c«o' -0' 



^. 






* .^ 






